


Wooden Heart

by deux_lunes



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 15:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20659217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deux_lunes/pseuds/deux_lunes
Summary: After a special Valentine’s Day show, John gives Paul his own little valentine.Originally posted on Livejournal.





	Wooden Heart

The girls have gone absolutely _potty_, John decided as wave after wave of screams bounced off of them and back into the bursting town hall floor. Even though the boys had gotten somewhat used to their new popularity, this was a particularly brutal night. And all because of one boy in particular.

“Calm down, girls, calm down!” Paul said, giggling wildly as the girls began to scream his name. He glanced at John, who only made a face at him, making him laugh harder. Whose brilliant idea was it to raffle off that ridiculous satin heart Paul had pinned to his chest, then promise a _kiss_ to one of these howling banshees? “It isn’t right for a musician to have to fear for his well-being like this,” he grumbled under his breath. 

“All you girls have been sure to put your tickets in the raffle then?” Paul asked. His question was met with collective shrieks of affirmation, making him take a step back involuntarily, and John had to laugh. 

“Yeah, if you don’t have your ticket in this box, you’ll just have to wait till Paul takes you out back,” John said into the microphone. “Come to think of it, you’ll probably have a better chance of that happening than gettin’ your number called.” He gave Paul a wink as the younger boy gave him a mock scowl. 

John noticed George across the stage, absently fiddling with his fret board. He touched Paul’s shoulder quickly to indicate that the show should continue, as much as Paul loved flirting with the audience, but he got the hint.

“Okay, we’re going to play a very _special_ Valentine’s number for you all now,” Paul announced, “and at the end of it, we’re going to pick the raffle winner!” Another flood of screams. “This one’s called ‘Wooden Heart’!” 

“Can’t you see I love you,” Paul sang into the mic, so close to John’s mouth that he could almost lean forward and kiss him. “Please don’t break my heart in two. That’s not hard to do!” 

_Paul, I wouldn’t_, John promised silently. He knew that this song didn’t mean much to Paul, it was just a fun little love song that would guarantee a pair of knickers to be sliding down a girl’s ankles later, but it hit too close to home for John. He and the younger boy had always been close, though it had taken John nearly too long to realize what these feelings where whenever he looked at Paul, whenever he touched him, whenever he made that adorable face light up in the biggest smile—

“John!” Paul hissed. Oh shit, right, he was supposed to be singing. 

John could barely tell when the song ended due to the girls’ rising excitement at the chance to kiss his Paul. Lucky cows, he thought bitterly. All they’ve got to do is pay a quid and get to kiss him. Me, I’m his best friend for almost five years and I get fuck-all. He shoved these thoughts far to the back of his mind, plastered a spastic grin on his face and grabbed the box containing the raffle tickets. “Ladies, is there something you want me to do with this box?” Screams. “What’s that? You want me to throw it out?!” _Louder_ screams. “Ohh, you want me to pick a winner, that it? Well, you’ll have to shut yer bleedin’ gobs if you want to hear the number!” 

He held the box out to Paul, who in his characteristic flair for being a ham, gave a large wink at the audience before clapping a hand over his eyes and plunging the other into the box. 

“Let’s see what we have here! Number… 5284! Who’s got number 5284?”

A loud shriek came from the left-hand side of the auditorium, and John could see a blonde head pushing her way to the stage… Unfortunately, she was being followed by a large number of other heads. 

“Let’s all calm down, girls!” Paul tried to yell over the microphone, but it was too late. The girls clambered onto the stage, sending John flying headfirst into the sea of people in their quest to get to Paul. 

“Calm the hell down!” Paul hollered over the noise, trying to push the girls off of him. His eyes found John below him, frantic and wide, but the older boy couldn’t tell if it was out of fear for him or Paul himself.

Out of nowhere, the large bouncer that the Litherland Town Hall had hired just for tonight bounded onto the stage, steadily pulling at least three squealing girls off of Paul with one arm. “Show’ll begin again in 10 minutes, kids!” he told the audience, who responded with a chorus of loud “boo’s.’” After shooing the shame-faced girls off-stage, he reached down and pulled John up, helped by Paul.

As soon as the curtains had closed around the stage, John spat angrily. “Fuckin’ cunts! Were they raised in a bloody zoo or what?!” 

Paul touched his friend’s shoulders gently, and John nearly instantly calmed at the sensation. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly. “I can’t believe they pushed you off the stage…”

John swallowed his venom, and managed to smile at the man he loved so dearly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. Just a bit shaken. I guess we shouldn’t have underestimated the power of your sex appeal, eh, Macca?”

Paul laughed lightly, but that was all the time they had to each other before George and Pete had gathered around them, asking the same questions and giving the same opinions on what type of girls would storm a stage just to kiss Paul.

The show went back on without a hitch; the real winner of the raffle was called up to the stage to receive the heart and her kiss, and to her credit, she apologized profusely to John for knocking him off earlier.

Paul surprised everyone as they were packing up. “Lads, let’s all go out to the pub tonight, eh? I think I’ve had enough girls for one evening.”

George snorted. “You and John may have, but those shrieking girls never came over our way!”

Pete nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think I’ll hang around here for a little while. And if you’re not here, there’s a _much_ better chance of getting a pretty one.”

John slung his arm around his companion’s neck. “I’m all for getting the hell out of here, Macca. I wouldn’t want to face _that_ again!”

The younger man grinned up at him, adoration written all over his face. “Knew I could count on you, Johnny.”

***

The boys drank hard at the pub, knocking them back as fast as they could so they could get drunk as quickly as possible. Within the next hour, they were pissed and disturbing the bar’s other customers the best way they could.

“Can’t I see I loooove youuu,” John caterwauled at the top of his lungs.

“Please don’t break my heart in twoooo,” Paul joined in, giggling madly.

“I’m so hard for youuu!” John’s improvised lyric sent the two into gales of laughter, and earned them the hateful stare of everyone else in the bar.

“Boys, I think you’ve had enough,” the bartender said, and they groaned.

John gasped dramatically. “Don’t cut us off, master, we’ll be good! I swear it! Swear it on me mum’s own life!” 

“Yeah, mine too!”

“Nah, boys, you get on home. You’re nuisances, the both of ya.” The bartender shooed them away, and they stumbled out the door to find the light of the bus stop. 

“Can I sleep at yours then?” John asked, lighting himself a fag. “Mimi’d kill me if I came ‘ome ‘smelling like a brewery.’”

“You gimme a ciggy and you can move in.” Paul plopped himself next to John, and his friend obliged by sticking a cigarette between his plump lips. The younger boy lit it and let his head fall onto John’s shoulder. “Mmm. Ta.”

“So when can I move in then, love?”

“When you can provide a decent dowry, of course.”

“And what was that fag, hey? You want more now?”

Paul laughed. “’Course, man’s gotta protect his assets.”

“Protect _this_ asset,” John growled and grabbed Paul’s arse playfully, making the other shriek in mock outrage.

“Sir! My father shall be hearing about this!”

“Oh yeah, I’d love to hear it.” John grinned wickedly. “‘Yes, Papa, that awful John Lennon touched my arse because I promised myself to him but I was only being a bloody tease, Papa!’”

“I’m not a tease…” Paul murmured, his head dropping back onto John’s shoulder.

“Oh no? I’ve got some troubling news for you then…” Before the conversation could continue, the bus’s headlights blinded them. They boarded and managed not to get kicked off until they were near Forthlin Road, despite their best efforts to do otherwise. The two staggered off in the general direction of Paul’s house, trying to be somewhat quiet as not to disturb the neighbors, or worse, Jim McCartney. The doors were locked, of course, so they went around back to shimmy the drainpipe. This proved to be an absolute Herculean task when intoxicated.

“Oi, John, give me a lift,” Paul whispered loudly, and John obliged, hoisting his friend up by his legs and trying not to get to distracted by Paul’s most precious asset now in his face.

“Almost, almost, al—Oh fuck!” John felt the sick sensation of Paul losing his balance, but didn’t have enough time to react as both of them topped backwards, falling back on top of each other on the grass.

“I can see why you don’t have that ballet scholarship yet, princess,” John grumbled, and Paul half-heartedly tried to hit him.

As the pain subsided, John realized how Paul was lying on top of him, almost like a lover would, and he still hadn’t moved. Even when John looked at him, he only looked back, those big drunk bedroom eyes staring wonderingly at him. John swallowed hard. Now was as good a time as any. 

“Listen… I got you a little something. For today. Not much, I just thought—”

“You got me something?” He wasn’t suspicious, just pleased. “What is it?”

“Well, it may be a little crushed now, but it should still taste all right.” John shoved his hand into his jacket pocket and retrieved a somewhat broken and melted chocolate heart. “Sorry, it’s been in there most of the night. Didn’t think about what the lights—”

“Why did you get me valentine’s chocolate?” Paul cut him off again, and John’s heart leapt into his throat. _Fuck, just take it, just take the fucking chocolate, don’t make me spell it out for you, you bloody idiot._

“Why do you think I got it for you?” John pushed him off indignantly and sat up, his temper raising its ugly little head. “You’re so bloody thick, Paul, I don’t know why I try to do anything for you.”

Paul sat up as well, taking the chocolate heart into his hands. “So I’m thick. I still don’t understand.”

Forgetting his fear for a second, the older man glanced at his friend and smiled. “I like that you’re thick though.” He hesitated a moment, then took Paul’s hand that was still enclosed around the candy. “Can’t you see I love you?” he sang quietly and Paul’s eyes widened in comprehension. “Please don’t break my heart in two… That’s not hard to do. ‘Cause I don’t have a wooden heart—”

Paul cut him off once again, but this time, he did it by grabbing John’s neck and pulling it down to meet his lips. John started in shock, but he kissed back, eyes gently falling closed as he continued to kiss the boy he had wanted for so long.

They lay back down in the grass, ignoring the dew that had already gathered on the blades, still kissing softly and ever so slowly cuddling closer to one another. They didn’t care if anyone had seen them, not even Paul’s father or brother, their lips were so soft and so needful of each other, that they could have lied there forever simply bringing their mouths together for another kiss.

***

John blinked, and slowly opened his blurry eyes to see the first hints of morning streaming across the sky. He turned his head and saw Paul fast asleep beside him on the grass. Somewhere in the middle of their kissing, they had both fallen asleep. John had to smile as Paul let out a light snore.

He softly poked him and the younger boy grunted in irritation. “Macca, get up. We gotta get inside before your dad wakes up. He’ll skin ya if he knew that you slept in the yard like a drunk.”

Paul opened his eyes blearily. “John? We fell asleep?”

“Looks like it, sleeping beauty. Come on, up ya go.” John pulled him up, muscles aching at the action.

“Wait, wait, I’ve gotta get my valentine,” Paul murmured, still half asleep, and John’s heart felt like bursting at the sight of his friend so carefully placing his valentine’s chocolate into his coat pocket.

The two managed to scramble up the drainpipe, and crept into Paul’s bedroom, collapsing onto the soft bed. Paul immediately snuggled up to John, warmth filling every ounce of his body.

“Too bad I had to give that heart away to some stupid girl,” he said with a yawn. “Woulda rather given it to you.” 

“I still got more kisses than the stupid girl though,” John whispered.

“And more.” Paul gave him a gentle brush of the lips and he was back asleep, leaving John awake to wonder how hard it would be to track down the winner of Paul’s wooden heart.

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a real event, taking place on Valentine's Day of 1961 https://www.beatlesbible.com/1961/02/14/live-litherland-town-hall-liverpool-5/


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